Jessica stood by the mirror, one hand adjusting the strap of her dress, the other smoothing the fabric over her hip. The dress was either new or one she had bought long ago and saved for a night like this. It was black, simple but stylish, with a muted charcoal undertone that softened under the overhead light. The neckline draped loosely across her chest in gentle folds. She wore it like it had been made for her, framing...

Chapter One — The Wedding Reception, or: How We Got Here The room is full of people pretending they haven’t already spilled champagne on themselves. Someone’s uncle is slow-dancing with someone else’s cousin. A toddler is doing what I can only describe as interpretive floor flailing to Stevie Wonder. My dad is three drinks in and just confidently called Sarah’s best friend “Susan,” even though her name is Jess and she’s b...

Ellie pulled the car off what used to be a gravel drive and let the engine idle for a moment before she turned the key. The sudden silence pressed around her like the stillness before a storm — thick, unmoving, loud in its quiet. Outside, the house sat hunched against the slope of the hill, half-swallowed by a stand of overgrown pine and the long breath of a dying summer. The porch was bowed, the screen door dangled loose...

I’d been staring at the clock for twelve minutes. Not since I made the call—just since the last time I checked. The first call to the agency had been earlier in the week. A text came this afternoon to confirm the details. And then, about an hour ago, she called to say she was on her way. It was the first time I’d heard her voice. I was already sweating through my button-up. I’d showered twice—once before I left home, then...

Chapter Three: The Team The conference room was technically a supply closet with a window — but it had a table, four mismatched chairs, and one working outlet. Which, in Zara’s eyes, made it the beating heart of an empire-in-progress. She arrived last, coffee in hand, heels unapologetically loud against the polished concrete floor. She offered no excuse for her lateness. Power, after all, was a matter of pace. Gia was alr...

Prologue “What’s this really about, Kevin?” Darren asked, eyes narrowing over the rim of his water glass. Kevin smiled — a little too innocently. “What do you mean?” “You don’t spring for lunch at a place like this just to catch up. So cut the small talk. What’s going on?” There was a brief pause as Kevin mentally rehearsed his pitch one last time. Then he leaned forward, lowering his voice just enough to signal discretio...

Evan Brooks arrived just after eight. Which, according to the file, was two hours before anyone else at Clarity Holdings, Inc. usually rolled in—unless there was an espresso giveaway or a cryptocurrency drop. The lobby was tall, glossy, and trying very hard to impress someone’s venture capitalist uncle. Steel beams. Polished stone. A reception desk shaped like a lowercase “c.” It looked like success, the kind you could le...

Sophia stepped into the open-air villa, the sea breeze lifting the hem of her floral sundress like a playful hand. Beyond their private plunge pool, the golden sand stretched endlessly toward the glittering Caribbean. The air was heavy with the scent of salt, hibiscus, and something sweeter — possibility. Behind her, Elliot dropped their bags with a soft thud and slipped his arms around his wife’s waist. His chin rested a...